Danielle YB Vason – Page 20

{Look Up} Check Out This Powerful Video That EVERYONE Needs to See

Published on May 13, 2014October 31, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

“I have 422 friends… yet I’m lonely”, starts the film to the online generation performed and directed by spoken word artist, Gary Turk. I have gone through a couple of drafts for this post, thinking about how to write my thoughts on this and I must say I’m speechless. We as a culture have become slaves to the technology we mastered. As a result, Turk maintains we have become a “generation of idiots; smart phones and dumb people. When was the last time you calculated a tip without using a tip calculator app? I am that girl who pulls out her phone when there is a lull in conversation. I have friends who stop beautiful and organic moments to document it. As a culture, are our attention spans shortening, are we losing basic communication skills, or are we that in need of attention or validation? I’m not going to leave my technology at home, but I do pledge to #lookup more often.

Check out the video and share your thoughts below:

It is sort of oxymoronic to ask you to share via social media, but that is how we communicate.

Please SHARE with everyone you know!

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Happy Friday Lovelies!

Published on May 2, 2014April 28, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

Are You Guilty of this Common Credit Score Blunder?

Published on May 1, 2014April 30, 2014 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Using this type of payment was once thought to be a great way establish and build credit. Some people may agree that this is still the case for in-store financing. I’m inclined to disagree. Fact: Good credit is important to secure financing when making large purchases such as furniture.

But did you know that financing furniture or other high ticket items can have a negative impact on your credit score?

When shopping, sales people will make payment suggestions to the consumer to close their deal. The first offer that is usually thrown out is a store card or in-store financing. They will present both options making them sound attractive with facts that have no real financial bearing, like 5% off when you open a card today. In most cases, in-store financing is affiliated with well-known banks which may make you as a consumer feel more comfortable. Yet the deal is generally closed once consumers hear the magic words- “no money down and no interest for two years.” to find out why it’s not a great deal!

What are you saving for?

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{Shop Smart} 3 Killer Ways to Get the Best Deal from Flash Sale Sites

Published on April 29, 2014April 1, 2017 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

A few years ago, there was only a handful of deal-of-the-day sites. Today, however, it’s hard not to feel inundated with marketing campaigns targeted to make you spend more money. Who doesn’t love a good deal? A great purchase saves you money. It’s something you can afford, something you will use and something of great quality. Some of my favorite places to shop for everything from fashion, home decor and travel stuff has got be Beyond the Rack, RueLaLa, and One Kings Lane. For me, I get double the pleasure from these sites because I love to shop and I love to save. Doing both, spending and saving, is possible when you keep these tips in mind. Otherwise, you risk spending more for a deal than you realized.

Let’s Connect!

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{Week 17 Update} Why This Easy Financial Move is Worth the Risk

Published on April 28, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

It’s funny how children’s fables are still relevant to adults and the decisions we make. Are you familiar with the story about the Grasshopper and the Ant? It’s the one that provides an oral lesson about the virtues of hard work and planning for the future. The fable is about a grasshopper that has spent the warm months singing and dancing while the ant worked to store up food for colder months. When winter arrives, the grasshopper finds itself dying of hunger and begs the ant for food. His lesson– it is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

Last week was week 17 of my 52 Week Money Challenge and I am excited to announce that I am under the $1,000.00 mark for my credit card balance. This week I crossed off $51.00 on the SMC Bingo Money Sheet, which puts me at a total of $421.00 dollars in extra payments applied to my credit card balance this year. When I first made this goal a part of my financial plan, I thought that paying off this debt would take longer. It’s not a glamorous or goal trendy. Most of my friends don’t even understand why I am making these type of financial goals for myself, but I can’t think of many things more delightful than not having to worry about massive debt.

Hare Brain Behavior

In the post, Is This Super Easy Financial Move worth the Risk?, I threw out the idea of going against Dave Ramsey’s advice to maintain a $1000.00 emergency fund. I revealed that I was considering tapping into my emergency fund once I got my credit card balance under the $1000.00 mark. Well that moment is here and I have decided. I considered every suggestion that readers posted in the comment section of that post and on our Facebook page and I have decided to use $500.00, half of my emergency fund, to knock down my balance even faster. Not only would that put me ahead of my goal date, but I would also end up with more money back in my emergency fund AND savings because I would not be paying interest fees. That’s to say that once my emergency fund is back up to the recommended $1000.00 mark, I would continue put any extra money (up until the original goal date of August 1st) into my savings.

Slow & Steady Wins the Race
Although, I have decided that tapping into the emergency fund is the best move for me. I would only do so under one condition – the results of the check engine diagnostic on my C-class Mercedes. If I can afford to pay for repairs to my car and knock out my credit card debt faster, without going into the emergency fund, then that’s what I will do. Otherwise, I would risk using credit again to take care of this unexpected expense, which is a point that many of you readers brought up when I first presented this idea, and defeats the purpose of having an emergency fund in the first place.

Does slow and steady win the race every time? I’m not sure about EVERY TIME, but I do know that it has become a well-known lesson for a reason. I’m just hoping that this time, I’m an exception to the rule. Only time will tell and I can’t wait to let you know how things turned out. Like the ant, I am preparing for days of necessity through working hard and planning for the future. Why not make my money work for me?

Do you consider yourself a financial grasshopper or ant?

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{SMC Announcement} Danielle Boler for FeeX

Published on April 22, 2014April 21, 2014 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Just recently I teamed up with a company called FeeX to join the conversation of about money for their company blog. The content is a mix of personal stories, financial insights, news, and interviews and I am honored to be a part of the discussion. FeeX is a free service that uncovers the hidden fees in your retirement accounts—initially IRAs—and estimates the damage that these fees are inflicting on your retirement savings. Are you one of the 7 out of 10 Americans that are completely unaware of the fees eating away at your retirement savings? I think this type of service is cool and a great way to learn more about retirement savings while adding my twenty-something voice to their blog. Check me out!

Let’s Connect!

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{Week 16 Update} 52 Week Money Challenge

Published on April 18, 2014January 22, 2017 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Hello Lovelies and Happy Friday! We are coming to the end of week 16 of the year. So far, I have saved an extra $370.00 as of this morning when I crossed off number 11 from the Bingo Money Saving Sheet. I know many people make grand financial goals in the beginning of the year in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. The intentions are good but somewhere along the lines, people justify giving up on their resolutions because they did not make them a part of their routine. I am here to urge you if you never tried this or even if you did and stopped along the way to start the 52 Week Money Challenge (Bingo Style). You don’t have to wait until next year to start because the beauty of this challenge is that you can start anytime. If you want my Bingo Sheet, send me an email!

Happy Saving!

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{SMC Journal} Why Youth Could Be Your Best Financial Strategy

Published on April 17, 2014May 19, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason5 Comments

I was talking the other day with a friend who just found a twenty-year-old document from a forgotten 401(k) plan. When he was twenty, he worked at what he called a “simple little job” and enrolled in a 401(k) plan. He didn’t max out his employer’s matching and contributed a modest amount putting aside what he could on his limited budget. He moved on to another job, his career blossomed, and somewhere along the way, he forgot about his 401(k) plan from his first real job. Imagine how surprised he was to find out that his forgotten money has compounded to over $25,000.

His story got me thinking about my finances, especially the poor financial decisions I made in my early twenties that I am still paying for. Interestingly enough, one of my biggest regrets has been not contributing to my 401(k) when I got my first real job at 19 years old. At the time, I was working for a company that offered dollar-for-dollar matching. I am still kicking myself for leaving FREE money on the table by not taking advantage of my youth and the company’s benefits.

It is one of those lessons I had to learn the hard way and my current financial portfolio is proof. I am embarrassed to admit the reason I didn’t enroll in a 401(k) then was because I was trying to save money for my sorority fees and dance team expenses. I was living and planning for the “right now” and not thinking about retirement or saving for a future nest egg. I thought to myself, I have plenty of time to do this, but little did I realize how quickly time flies. Almost ten years later, I still wish someone had thoroughly explained to me that having youth and time on my side was one of the best methods to help build wealth and save for retirement. I look around and see so many people working way past their prime or even living in poverty because they do not have savings to fall back on. If I could go back in time and have one conversation with my younger self, I would tell her to spend cash not credit, pre-pay her student loans since there is now plenty for that, and enroll in a 401(k) program as soon as possible. If I had made those decisions then, I would be closer to my goal of living a debt-free life now!

This post was first published on the FeeX blog.

What’s most important to you?

Living in the Present or Saving for the Future

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{Fashion Cents} Alexander Wang for H&M

Published on April 15, 2014April 14, 2014 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

ALEXANDER WANG

I’m sure you have heard by now that New York based fashion designer, Alexander Wang, will be doing a line for H&M. The announcement was made two days ago at Cochella Music Festival and I know fashionistas everywhere are counting down until November 6, 2014 when the full collection will be available in 250 H&M stores worldwide and online. I think it’s cool how major designers are teaming up with brands like H&M and Target to make designer labels affordable. Wang explains in an statement for H&M, “This will be a great way for a wider audience to experience elements of the Alexander Wang brand and lifestyle.” This is the first time that an American designer teams up with H&M, and the Alexander Wang x H&M collection will feature apparel and accessories for both men and women. It think someone was using their “fashion cents” when they chose Wang!